Q: Can I keep seeing my out-of-state therapist after moving to California?
A: Usually not for long. What governs is where you are sitting during the session, not where the therapist is: to treat you while you are physically in California, a therapist generally needs a California licence. The interstate workaround most people have heard of — PSYPACT, which lets psychologists practise across member states — does not help here, because California has never joined it, unlike most of the country.¹ There is one narrow door for psychologists: an out-of-state psychologist may serve a client who is in California for up to 30 consecutive days in a calendar year, only for someone they were already treating before that person came to California, and — new since 1 January 2026 — only with advance approval from the California Board of Psychology, telehealth included.² Thirty days, once a year, not split up.
Worked example: you move from Texas in March with a psychologist you have seen for three years. She can apply for the 30-day approval and carry you through the transition, once. She cannot see you monthly for the rest of the year, and she cannot take you back in the autumn. The 30 days is a bridge to a California therapist, which is what it was designed to be.
Do this: treat the move as a handover, not a disruption. Ask your current therapist for a referral, a written summary for the next clinician, and two or three sessions of overlap if the 30-day route is open to them. Then start the California search early — before the bridge runs out, not after.
Sources
- PSYPACT participating states map — California listed among jurisdictions that have not enacted PSYPACT legislation — psypact.gov. Verified 17 August 2026.
- California Board of Psychology, temporary out-of-state practice under Business & Professions Code §2912: up to 30 consecutive days per calendar year, established client relationship required, board approval required before providing services as of 1 January 2026 — psychology.ca.gov. Verified 17 August 2026.